Winchester City Council takes action against food premises
Winchester City Council has prosecuted two City Centre establishments following inspections, where Environmental Health Officers discovered breaches of food hygiene and health and safety legislation. Both cases were heard at Andover Magistrates Court in early February.
The William Walker Pub, located in the Square, Winchester, was inspected by Environmental Health Officers in December 2010. The officers discovered poor cleaning and a defective food service lift.
The Company, Colin’s Pubs Limited, owned by Colin Clarke, pleaded guilty to five food hygiene offences and one health and safety offence. The Company were fined £1750 and the Council awarded £3500 costs.
In the second case against GT Pubs Limited, owners of the Crown and Anchor in Winchester High Street, the Company were fined £3600 and ordered to pay £4100 costs to the City Council after pleading guilty to eight food hygiene offences and one health and safety offence.
During a routine food hygiene inspection undertaken by a City Council Environmental Health Officer in January 2011, standards at the Crown and Anchor were found to be so poor that the manager voluntarily closed the kitchen. The inspection revealed that the kitchen was in an extremely poor state of cleanliness and that structural disrepair was widespread.
Cllr Victoria Weston, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport commented,
These cases demonstrate that the City Council will not tolerate such a flagrant disregard to the health and safety of the public and will take robust action where necessary”.